Star Trek Action Group (newsletter)/Issues 061-080
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Issues 001-020 · Issues 021-040 · Issues 041-060 · Issues 061-080 · Issues 081-100 · Issues 101-120 · Issues 121-141
Issue 61
Star Trek Action Group 61
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Issue 62
Star Trek Action Group 62
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Issue 63
Star Trek Action Group 63
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Issue 64
Star Trek Action Group 64
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Issue 65
Star Trek Action Group 65
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Issue 66
Star Trek Action Group 66
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Issue 67
Star Trek Action Group 67
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Issue 68
Star Trek Action Group 68
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Issue 69
Star Trek Action Group 69
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Issue 70
Star Trek Action Group 70
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Issue 71
Star Trek Action Group 71
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Issue 72
Star Trek Action Group 72
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Issue 73
Star Trek Action Group 73 was published in February 1986 and contains 32 pages.
- the editors report, and print, the cease and desist letter they've received from Paramount regarding their classification of some conventions and the use of the term "official." The editor write that: ... we would like to state that at no time have we, or anyone else to our knowledge, stated that "official" conventions have been Paramount backed. The term 'official' has obviously misinterpreted by Paramount, so in keeping with their wishes, we have changed the classification of "official' to 'fan elected." Plus, they will now be headed as 'major' conventions.
- this issue contains the transcript of a 1985 interview with James Doohan, one which, among other things, explains bubble wrap
- there is a Genesis #2 convention report
- there are some pro book Star Trek reviews
- this issue has a full-page flyer for Galileo Con III (August 22-25, 1986)
- cover of issue #73 by C. Sibbett
Issue 74
Star Trek Action Group 74 was published in April 1986 and contains 36 pages.
- there is a final installment of an interview with James Doohan
- there are some pro book reviews, as well as responses to some earlier reviews
- this issue has a review of the zine If Today Be Sweet, see that page
- this issue is the first one that has some reviews of movies about things that have nothing to do with Trek
- the editors write that Bjo Trimble is going to be attending Galileo Con and would like to stay with some British fans while she is there; it is reported that she would like to extend the favor to British fans who visit the US: The Trimbe family are always more than happy to offer their hospitality to any travelling fans. In fact, they are quite hurt that none of the British fans that have visited the states in recent years have gotten in touch with them.
- there is an announcement of some upcoming cons including UFP Con '86, Galileo Con '86, and Sol III '87
- cover of issue #74 by C. Sibbett
Issue 75
Star Trek Action Group 75 was published in June 1986
- it has a cover by Jeni Stace, Carol Hart, and C. Sibbett
- the editors announce that the newsletter (due to financial stipulations), will no longer be published six times a year but four times a year
- there is a con report for UFP Con '86
- there are announcements for many zines, some of which were Tickled Pink #3, Th'igh Leg, Zenith Collect, Bitter Sweet Resolve, The Dunwich Affair, Transtater, One Way or Another...
Issue 76
Star Trek Action Group 76 was published in September 1986 and contains 38 pages.
- it has a cover by C. Sibbett
- a fan recounts how the pro novels, as well as the show itself, have terrible translations into German
- a fan "meets" William Shatner at UFP Con and writes writes at great length about how he is not as obnoxious as she thought he was, and she's tired of listening to fans running him down
Issue 77
Star Trek Action Group 77 has a cover by Jeni Stace. It was published in December 1986 and contains 42 pages.
- the editors apologize for the printface in the last issue; they are back to using a different typewriter, and it doesn't hit the stencils as hard as the other one, they apologize for the staples, too
- there is a long write-up about the new ST movie, a blow-by-blow plot description; the synopsis comes from a fan in London named Exeunt who "got to see the film in London after he was stopped on the street and asked if he would like to see a rough cut of the film without all the special effects and painted backgrounds."
- fans are beginning to believe that the new series, TNG, may become a reality; they are skeptical but hopeful
- this issue has an essay by Margaret Rainey called "The Baker Street Connection" in which she proposes that Gene Roddenbery and/or Leonard Nimoy based the character of Spock on Sherlock Holmes and proceeds to say why
- there is a con report for Galileo Con #3 (the 22nd Star Trek Convention) -- she was disappointed: the con bag was skimpy, there were too many videos shown, and she couldn't figure out where all the people were. She also took issue with the adult and K/S zines being sold. Regarding the zines: I thought the content was distasteful, and had I been Paramount or any member of the Star Trek cast, I would have considered legal action. To me, the content of these so-called adult zines was fragrantly [sic] insulting to the characters of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Were the characters to engage in the actions of the adult zines, I 'm sure they would have been court-marchalled [sic] for conduct unbecoming of a Starfleet Officer.
- a fan has an ad asking for someone to lend her a copy of the Starsky & Hutch zine she calls Autumn Ice
Issue 78
Star Trek Action Group 78 was published in March 1987 and contains 40 pages. The front cover is by Greg Halpin - this includes copies of C. Sibbett's (c) original portraits of Kirk and Spock.
- the editors announce that the new honorary member is Richard Arnold, includes a biography
- there is buzz about the new series, TNG, including a partial character roster that includes the speculation that Dr. Crusher could have the nickname "Bones Crusher."
- updates on what the ST actors are up to
- a letter from Richard Arnold about TNG
- a letter from Bjo Trimble about the The Star Trek Concordance update
- a LoC from a fan defending an earlier fan's letter about Galileo Con
- a review of Star Trek IV movie
- a fan comments on K/S: They are a slur on Trek characters and on Star Trek itself. Fans' stories are based upon the series created by Gene Roddenberry -- except K/S zines. They are based on wild imagination by people who are besmirking the characters and the good name of Star Trek to meet their own needs. Paramount should indeed ban these zines but this could prove to have difficulties, since the activities within a K/S zines are not breaking copyright on Star Trek - the two are not connected... Perhaps clubs should stop advertising such zines (STAG take note). I know there's a message saying that if you object to them don't buy them, but the fact is that I object to them being on sale n the first place. Clubs should seriously ask themselves, if K/S belongs in a Star Trek newsletter. It can be very off-putting to a youngster joining a Trek club or fandom in general... I personally believe that Star Trek is being abused.
- one of the editors comments on the letter about K/S: You have opened a can of worms, haven't you! I must start by saying that I'm speaking for myself, not Catherine, because we both have different views on this subject, but we do agree to disagree on it. I must say that I think it would be very unfair of us to stop, advertising K/S or slash zines, This is a democratic nation and everyone has the right to choose what they read (thank God!), we aren't living in Russia. I must admit to having read K/S myself, and that has nothing to do with me being perverted or sick (as some really nice people have seen fit to comment on K/S readers before). I just enjoy reading all kinds of literature, from love stories to horror stories. I personally don't see what all the fuss is about. I get more upset at reading stories about violence, rather than love. (I really hate slave K/'S stories they are rather sick). It all depends, on your point of view. I do agree, that youngsters shouldn't be subjected to K/S (they aren't ready for learning about sex in general, K/S would blow their minds) and shame on any K/S dealer who sells their zines to the younger members of fandom... I know that this subject causes a lot of bad feeling in fandom and there has been a lot written on the subject in the past, but I do feel that people should be more tolorent in general, because as Gene Roddenberry would say "To be different, is not necessary to be. wrong. That is what Star Trek and IDIC are all about.
- this issue contains some poetry, a list of fans' birthdays, a list of conventions, fan clubs, and many zines
Issue 79
Star Trek Action Group 79 was published in June 1987 and contains 42 pages.
- the editors write about their soon-to-be-implemented practice of a more formal way of labeling zines and their genres: We've had quite a response to the K/S debate (more in the n/l on this) and it has been suggested that we put all the 'adult' zine ads, in a section of their own. Which sounds a pretty good idea to us, so we'll start doing that next time.... It has also been suggested that we should ask editors to mark all zine ads, to indicate the type of zine they are selling. i.e. zines with death stories should carry the symbol "DS", or plain ordinary general Star Trek zines should carry "GEN". We feel this is also a good idea, as there are certain kinds of stories that we don't like and have mistakenly bought zines, only to find that we don't want to read them (because of the subject matter). Before we introduce this, we want to hear from YOU, how many of you think this is a good idea and how many think its not??? We feel that this is a solution to a real problem; we're not into censoring zines, but we do feel that people have the right to know what they are buying, in all respects, not just when it comes to 'adult' material. Editors, please give us your reactions.
- there is a much content about TNG, with a show actor roster, and one long essay by a fan who "almost persuaded myself that Gene Roddenberry would be able to bring this off; that he would make the fullest use of this opportunity. After all, he managed it once. Now I am doubtful..." She goes on to complain that an android cannot wish to be anything, much less human, that Captain Picard sounds too old, that the security officer is going to be full-time job for the ship's psychologist as the character "worships Starfleet," and she dislikes many of the characters' names: "Julian Picard sound rather wet."
- there are several reviews of the movie "The Voyage Home"
- a fan weighs in on K/S: Whether a person choses to read K/S or not is their own personal choice. No one forces it on them. If they chose to, they need never come into contact with such literature at all, simply because all K/S material carries a warning. I just wish the same could be said of my pet-hate - death stories. I really hate them, they leave me feeling, depressed for days, yet I have only ever come across a warning on one death story. It would please, to no end if death stories carried a warning the way K/S stories do. How about it STAG? Every fan is an individual, each with their own tastes and preferences for stories, STAG exists for all fans and tries to cater for the tastes of everyone. It should continue to do so if IDIC is to have any meaning for us, so it is unfair to expect the committee to advertise only certain zines in the newsletter. So long as K/S stories continue to carry the very necessary warning then we can all exercise our right to chose what we read, safe in the knowledge that we shall not inadvertantly be subjected to a story that may cause offence.
- another fan writes: I really hate to see the characters of Kirk and Spock being portrayed as homosexuals, this kind of relationship was never even remotely suggested in the series and I think it's a slur on the fine fraternal friendship that the two shared. I was annoyed, to say the least, at recent conventions I've attended, to have copy after copy of this drivel brought out for auction and lurid paragraphs read from them, supposedly to titillate our desire to buy them. It's all very well Margaret trotting out Gene Roddenberry's quote but I'll bet he never expected his beloved characters to be portrayed as being that diverse! : like to know if we anti-K/S fans are in the minority these days? Why not vote on it and if we find that most members do object to their newsletters used as a vehicle for K/S advertising, then lets put K/S where it deserves ie. OUT of them.
- the editors respond to the previous letter regarding warnings: Thank you, for your comments, but you seem to have forgotten one very important point here. Namely: That if we forbid the advertising of K/S zines, then editors would just change the titles and leave off the K/S warning. You don't need to be too bright to work out that more and more unexpecting fans would buy K/S. You would then fall into a category of censoring zines, which would mean us purchasing and reading every zine we advertised, in order to ensure that we weren't inadvertently advertising K/S, Where do you draw the line? And what right do we have to stop fans from producing a product that there is (whether you like it or not) a very big market for. Sorry. We are very willing to advertise K/S zines, as long as they stick to the rule of putting a warning and age statement on the ads.
- another writes: ...just a word or two about K/S. Hey, legal action? Wait a minute! I remember being totally shocked by the idea when I first discovered it, but legal action is going a bit far. And as far as 'conduct unbecoming' today's armed forces are not exactly unknown for that sort of thing. What people do behind closed bedroom doors is a matter for them, and if some people want to imagine a homosexual relationship between Kirk & Spock, they are perfectly free to do so, and to write about it if they so choose. The rest of us are perfectly free to read it or not, as we choose. Freedom of ideas is one of the wonderful things about SF, and that includes ST. Remember IDIC stands for INFINITE Diversity, not just the diversity we happen, to agree with. Besides, why take it so seriously? Gene Roddenberry, in his novelisation of ST-TMP? put in a footnote to the effect that Kirk would be pretty daft to choose a sexual partner who only came into heat once every seven years. And K/S does provide... some great comedy material in the auctions. If you really object strongly to the premise, it's quite possible to ignore it - just steer clear of 'adult' zines.
- another fan writes: I have been a Star Trek fan for 17 years... the one subject that has finally made me write for the first time, is the K/S idea... I believe in the philosophy of IDIC, I have no objection to homosexuals, that is their way of living, fine, I do not know who invented the K/S idea (nor why for that matter), but would like to know how they can change the actual character of Kirk & Spock? They were not homosexual, so why invent it? That is like having Scotty in love with Uhura, or deciding Nurse Chapel is Chinese, it isn't true! What's next! Chekov and Sulu? If it is a spin off of the great friendship shared by Kirk and Spock, then it is a misinterpretation. Love does not have to be sexual. My anger at the K/S idea and zines is not abated, but it is now being replaced by sadness that the idea ever materialised in the first place.
- another fan writes: Yes, K/S zines are in many respects distasteful. We already know that the reactions of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Gene Roddenberry have been of general disgust when the subject is raised at Cons etc. I have always found K/S material unpleasant and have strong personal feelings regarding it but I do recognise that, as Margaret stated, we live in a democratic society. As such we should recognise this, and that others are entitled to voice and print their own viewpoints and feelings, even when we oppose them,, No one is forcing us to buy K/S material (I completely ignore any ads that have "K/S" included in them). To try arid impose any kind of ban on such material is, in fact, introducing a form of censorship and denial that not only violates the basic rights of our society, but mocks one of the most important principals of IDIC-tolerance. Please, whatever your views on this subject, we know how divisive it has been in the past. Let's not re-open old wounds. Rather, let both sides of the K/S syndrome at least tolerate the other's views and leave it go.
- this issue has a long article on the U.S. space program
Issue 80
Star Trek Action Group 80 was published in September 1987 and contains 32 pages.
- now having seen the actual show, fans comment on TNG
- the results of a poll about the new ST movie are printed; most fans seem to have enjoyed it; this issue also prints some short fan comments about the movie
- the editors write that no one complained about the proposed system of labeling zines with "gen," "K/S," and "D/S" (death stories) and that any zine ad arriving without the appropriate label would not be run; this issue starts putting "adult zines" in their own section at the back